Snowmobile with rear arrangement suitable to accept a transportable object

ABSTRACT

A snowmobile comprises a chassis including a tunnel, an engine disposed on the chassis at a forward end thereof and a seat disposed above the tunnel behind the engine. The seat has an inclined rear end face extending upwardly and rearwardly with respect to the upper surface of the tunnel, a cavity being defined beneath the seat between the inclined rear end face and the upper surface of the tunnel. The cavity is adapted to receive at least a portion of a transportable object therein, such that the transportable object is locatable above the tunnel at least partially beneath the seat.

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.10/883,984 filed on Jul. 6, 2004 now a U.S. Pat. No. 6,920,952 B2.Through Ser. No. 10/883,984, this application also claims the benefit ofpriority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/484,288 filed on Jul. 3,2003. The contents of the above-mentioned applications are incorporatedherein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates generally to a snowmobile having anarrangement for transporting an object thereon, and relates moreparticularly to a snowmobile having a rear seat and tunnel arrangementsuitable for accepting a fuel container or a carrying bag.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Snowmobiles commonly have a seat which ends, near the rear of thevehicle, with a substantially vertical end wall portion which caninclude the rear tail light. It is also known to provide a carry rack,defined on the rear portion of the tunnel behind this rear vertical wallportion of the seat, so that objects such as a small fuel tank orstorage bag can be transported. Conventional seats also commonly includean internal compartment, integrated within the foam of the rear portionof the seat, which are adapted for storing small objects such as tools,first aid kits, etc.

When a small additional fuel tank, commonly called a Jerry can, is to betransported it is therefore situated in the rack disposed on the tunnelbehind the flat rear end wall of the seat. The weight of such a fullfuel container, which can be considerable, is accordingly carried on thevery rear end of the tunnel, well behind the center of gravity of thesnowmobile. This is disadvantageous as it can remove weight from thefront skis, which can negatively affect the steering of the vehicle.

Additionally, fuel containers or storage bags which are transported onthe rear of snowmobiles must be strapped down tight to the rear of thetunnel in order to ensure that they are securely retained in place,regardless of whether a rack is provided thereon or not. Such racksgenerally include small perimeter lips or rails which help locate thefuel container or storage bag on the tunnel, however these features arenot sufficient to help retain the object in place. Accordingly, the usermust properly fasten the object to the rear portion of the tunnel usingstraps, bungees or other similar securing means. Storage bags can berelatively awkward to securely fasten using straps due to theirsometimes irregular shapes. Further, as full fuel containers arerelatively heavy, they tend to work their way loose due to movement ofthe vehicle if not correctly fastened down. Therefore, carelessfastening of the object secured to an open rack disposed on the rear ofthe tunnel behind the seat can result in unwanted displacement of theobject, or even in complete loss thereof, during use of the snowmobile.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a snowmobile havinga rear seat arrangement suitable for accepting at least a portion of afuel container or a carrying bag therebeneath.

It is another object of the present invention to provide one of a fuelcontainer and a carrying bag at least a portion of which is adapted forengagement beneath a rear seat of a snowmobile.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a fuelcontainer fastening arrangement for securing a fuel container to therear of a snowmobile.

Therefore, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided asnowmobile comprising: a chassis including a tunnel; an engine disposedon the chassis at a forward end thereof and a seat disposed on thetunnel behind the engine; two skis linked to the chassis by a frontsuspension system; a drive track disposed below the tunnel and beingoperatively connected to the engine for propulsion of the snowmobile; asteering device disposed on the chassis forward of the seat and beingoperatively connected to the skis for steering the snowmobile; thetunnel having an upper surface and a portion extending rearwardly beyondthe seat; and the seat having an inclined rear end face extendingupwardly and rearwardly from the upper surface of the tunnel, a cavitybeing defined beneath the seat between the inclined rear end face andthe upper surface of the tunnel, the cavity being adapted to receive atleast a portion of a transportable object therein, such that thetransportable object is locatable above the tunnel at least partiallybeneath the seat.

There is also provided, in accordance with the present invention, anobject transportable on a snowmobile comprising a seat disposed on atunnel having a substantially flat upper surface extending rearwardlybeyond the seat, the seat having an inclined rear end face extendingupwardly and rearwardly from the upper surface of the tunnel, a cavitybeing defined beneath the seat between the inclined rear end face andthe upper surface the object comprising a wedge shaped forward portionhaving a slanted upper surface corresponding to the inclined rear endface of the seat and being abutable thereagainst such that at least theforward portion of the object is receivable within the cavity, theobject being thereby locatable above the tunnel at least partiallybeneath the seat.

There is also provided, in accordance with the present invention, a capmember suitable for a fuel container adapted for removable engagement toa snowmobile, the cap member having a shape corresponding to the fuelcontainer such that the cap member is engageable thereto over at leastone of a fuel conveying aperture and a venting aperture, the cap memberbeing securable in place on the fuel container by at least one fasteningstrap also used to fasten the fuel container to the snowmobile.

There is further provided, in accordance with the present invention, asnowmobile in combination with an object transportable thereon, thesnowmobile comprising: a chassis including a tunnel; an engine disposedon the chassis at a forward end thereof and a seat disposed on thetunnel behind the engine, the tunnel having an upper surface and aportion extending rearwardly beyond the seat; two skis linked to thechassis by a front suspension system; a drive track disposed below thetunnel and being operatively connected to the engine for propulsion ofthe snowmobile; a steering device disposed on the chassis forward of theseat and being operatively connected to the skis for steering thesnowmobile; and the seat including a rear end portion defining a cavitytherein, the cavity being rearwardly opening and being defined at leastpartially beneath the rear end portion between an end face thereof andthe upper surface of the tunnel, the cavity being adapted to receive atleast a portion of the object therein; and the object having at least aportion thereof shaped to correspond to the cavity such that the portionis receivable therein, the object being thereby locatable above thetunnel at least partially beneath the rear end portion of the seat.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further features and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent from the following detailed description, taken in combinationwith the appended drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a rear portion of a snowmobile of theprior art;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation sketch of a snowmobile in accordance with thepresent invention;

FIG. 3 is a perspective side view of a snowmobile in accordance with thepresent invention having a fuel container thereon;

FIG. 4 is a perspective side view of a snowmobile in accordance with thepresent invention having a carrying bag installed thereon;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a carrying bag in accordance with thepresent invention, being receivable on the snowmobile of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 a is a perspective side view of the rear portion of thesnowmobile of FIG. 3, having a fuel container of the present inventionfastened thereto;

FIG. 6 b is a top rear view of the rear portion of the snowmobile ofFIG. 3, having the fuel container of the present invention fastenedthereto; and

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of the fuel container assembly of FIGS. 6 aand 6 b.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

FIG. 1 depicts a rear portion of a snowmobile 910 of the prior art. Thesnowmobile 910 comprises generally a seat 912 having, at the rear endthereof, a substantially vertical wall portion 914 which defines therear end of the seat 912. An integral storage compartment is definedwithin the rear of the seat 912, to which the flip-up lid 916 providesaccess. A tunnel 920 extends beneath the seat 912 generally overtop ofthe track 918. The rear end of the tunnel 922 extends rearwardly beyondthe vertical wall portion 914 of the seat 912, and includes a rackassembly 924 thereon. The rack assembly 924 comprises opposed side bars926 on either lateral edge of the rear tunnel end 922 and has front andrear upstanding lips 930 and 928 respectively, which define a storagearea 932 therebetween adapted to receive a transportable object such asa fuel container or a carrying bag. To secure such an object disposed inthe storage area 932 to the rack assembly 924, fastening straps aretypically used to tie down the fuel container or carrying bag.

Referring now to FIG. 2, a snowmobile 10 in accordance with the presentinvention has a forward end 11 and a rearward end 13, definedconsistently with a travel direction of the vehicle. The snowmobile 10includes a chassis 12 which normally includes a rear tunnel portion 14,a front engine cradle portion (not shown), and a front suspensionassembly portion (not shown). While the snowmobile 10 preferably uses achassis 12, it is to be understood that a tubular frame portion couldalso be employed in stead of, at as well as, the chassis. While hiddenbehind the fairings 22 in FIG. 1, an engine 25, which provides motiveforce for the vehicle, is supported by the engine cradle portion of thechassis 12. In addition, two front skis 16 are attached to the forwardend of the chassis 12 through a front suspension system 18. The frontsuspension system 18 generally comprises a double A-arm type suspension,having two A-arms arms 19 on either side of the vehicle, which link aski leg 21 with the chassis 12. The ski legs 21 are attached the skis 16at a lower end and to the upper and lower A-arms 19 at an upper endthereof. The ski leg 21 preferably includes three ball joints 17 at theattachment points with the upper and lower A-arms 19 and with thesteering rod 23. The steering rod 23 rotates the ski leg 21 about anaxis defined between the ball joints between the ski leg 21 and theA-arms 19, to rotate the skis 16. The steering rods 23 are linked to asteering device 32, such as a handlebar, which is positioned forward ofa rider for providing directional control of the snowmobile 10. Thus, byturning the steering device 32, the ski legs 21 are pivoted, therebyturning the skis 16 to steer the vehicle in a desired direction.

A drive track 20 is disposed under tunnel 14 of the chassis 12 and isoperatively connected to the engine 25 for propulsion of the snowmobile10. A rear suspension system 27 comprises two parallel aluminum sliderails 28, which generally position and guide the endless drive track 20and which include idler wheels 34 engaged thereto. The slide rails 28include a slide 29 covering the lower surfaces thereof to reduce contactfriction between the slide rails 28 and the drive track 20. The slide 29is preferably made of Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE).The rear suspension system 27 also includes one or more shock absorbers30, which may also include a coil spring. Forward and rear suspensionarms 33 and 35 of the rear suspension system 27 attach the slide rails28 to the chassis 12.

At the front of the chassis 12, the snowmobile 10 comprises an externalshell including fairings 22 that enclose the engine 25 to protect it,and which can be decorated to render the snowmobile 10 moreaesthetically pleasing. Typically, the fairings 22 comprise a hood 38and one or more side panels 40. In the particular snowmobile 10depicted, the side panels 40 open away from the snowmobile along avertical axis, independently from the hood 38, which pivots forwardabout a horizontally extending axis. A windshield 24, which may beconnected either to the fairings 22 near the forward end 11 of thesnowmobile 10 or directly to the handlebars 32, acts as wind deflectorto lessen the force of the air on the rider 26 when the snowmobile ismoving. Two footrests 36, generally comprising part of the tunnel 14,are also positioned on either side of the central seat 42 to accommodatethe rider's feet.

The seat 42, provided at the rearward end 13 of snowmobile 10 behind theengine 25, is mounted above the tunnel 14. A rear seat portion 44 isdisposed behind the main seat 42, and may include an internal storagecompartment. The rear seat portion 44 can be made either of rigidplastic, or can comprise foam if it is configured to provide a rearpassenger seat. The rear seat 44 can therefore be either an integralcontinuation of the main seat 42, or can be a discrete member disposedimmediately behind the seat 42. Even if the rear seat portion 44 is madeof rigid plastic and does not provide a cushioned rear seating space fora passenger, it is still to be understood that the rear seat portion 44as defined herein nevertheless comprises part of the seat of thesnowmobile. A rear end portion 49 of the tunnel 14 extends rearwardlybeyond the end of the rear seat portion 44.

An object transporting arrangement 50 is provided at the rearward end 13of the snowmobile 10. The rear seat portion 44 has an inclined rear endface 52, which extends upwardly and rearwardly from an upper surface 53of the tunnel 14, between a lower forward end 48 and an upper rear end47 thereof. This inclined shape of the end of the rear seat portion 44defines a cavity 54 therebeneath. The cavity 54 provides an objectstorage space beneath the rear seat portion 44 between the inclined rearend face 52 and the upper surface 53 of the tunnel 14, such that atleast a portion of a transportable object such as a fuel container or acarrying bag is receivable therein. The generally “V”-shaped cavity 54is therefore adapted to receive and help retain a fuel container orcarrying bag near the rearward end 13 of the snowmobile 10, at leastpartially beneath the rear seat portion 44. Preferably, the fuelcontainer or carrying bag used has a wedge shape defined by a forwardslanted end which closely corresponds to the shape of the cavity 54,such it fits snugly therein. By closely matching the slant of the rearend face 52 of the rear seat portion 44 with that of the object, arelatively tight fit between the two is provided such that relativemovement therebetween is limited. While the transportable object ispreferably wedge shaped as described above, it is to be understood thatthe object and the cavity into which it is received can be any twocomplementary shapes. For example, the cavity can have an ellipticalshape and the object can have a portion thereof which is correspondinglyelliptical such that it will fit with the cavity. Regardless of theparticular shape of the cavity defined in the rear portion of thesnowmobile, the associated transportable object has a complementaryshape such that it is snugly receivable within the cavity. A fuelcontainer 70, as shown in FIGS. 3, and a carrying bag 80, as shown inFIG. 4, are preferably provided for use with the snowmobile 10 and willbe described in greater detail below.

Such a seat and tunnel arrangement therefore allows the object topartially slide under the seat such that the seat helps retain theobject more securely in place, preventing the fuel container or bag fromsliding further forward or from vertical displacement. Also, thisarrangement allows for the weight of the fuel container or bag to belocated further forward on the snowmobile relative to conventionalarrangements, such that the weight of the transported object is close tothe center of gravity of the vehicle. This accordingly improves thesteering and handling characteristics of the snowmobile. Further, bybeing disposed nearer to the center of gravity of the vehicle, thecontents of the fuel container or carrying bag experience less joltingforces during regular operation of the snowmobile.

Side rail members 56 are preferably provided between the rear seatportion 44 and the tunnel 14 on either side of the cavity 54. These siderail members 56 help locate the fuel container or bag within the cavity54, and help to laterally retain the object in place therein. Afastening strap is also preferably used to secure the object in place inthe cavity, however the fastening strap need only extend around the rearportion of the object, forcing the wedge shaped forward end of theobject into the “V”-shaped cavity 54. An upwardly extending tail rackmember 58 is also preferably provided at the end of the rear tunnelportion 49. The molded plastic tail rack member 58 also includes a taillight 60 integral therewith.

When a carrying bag 80 is attached to the rear of the snowmobile 10behind the seat, as shown in FIG. 4, the rear tail rack member 58securely retains the bag in place such that rearward movement of the bagis prevented. The bag is sized to fit snugly on the upper surface 53 ofthe tunnel 14 between the rear tail rack member 58 and the inclined rearend face 52 of the seat. Such a carrying bag 80, best seen in FIG. 5, ispreferably at least semi-rigid, generally maintaining its wedge shapewhether or not it is filled with articles to be transported therein,such as tools, food, clothing, emergency supplies, etc. The carrying bag80 comprises a plurality of fastening clips 82 along the bottom edges 84which permit quick and easy engagement and removal of the bag 80 fromthe snowmobile 10. Preferably, the bag 80 has a generally flat topsurface 86 which is slanted toward the front end of the bag to match theinclined rear end face 52 of the seat. The slanted top surface 86 isengaged to the side walls 88 of the bag by a zipper 90, which permitsthe top portion of the bag 80 to be flipped open to fill or empty thebag. As the top portion of the bag must be flipped open to gain accessto the interior of the bag 80, once inserted into the cavity 54, theinclined rear end face 52 of the seat ensures that the contents of thebag cannot fall out even if the user forgets to close the zipper 90 toseal the bag.

Referring now to FIGS. 6 a to 7, another aspect of the present inventionis the fuel container assembly 70. The fuel container assembly 70comprises generally a rigid fuel receiving reservoir 72 and cap members74, which fit over the filling and breather apertures disposed on eitherside of the reservoir 72 at an upper portion thereof. The cap membersare shaped to correspond to the reservoir 72, such that when the capmembers 74 are placed of the apertures they do not slide off thereservoir 72. Each cap member 74 preferably includes two raised portions76 which define fastening points in the form of channels which extendtherethrough and through which at least one fastening strap 78 is fed.The fastening strap 78 retains the cap members 74 on the reservoir 72and fastens the fuel container assembly 70 to the tunnel 14 of thesnowmobile 10. Preferably, a single continuous fastening strap 78 isused. Clips 77, engaged to the fastening strap 78, are securable torings 75 permanently fixed to the tunnel 14 on either side of the fuelcontainer assembly 70. In order to facilitate access to the fasteningstrap 78 and its attachment to the tunnel 14, the attachment point rings75 are located on the right and left sides of the tunnel 14, whichcorresponds to the front and back ends of the transversely mounted fuelreservoir 72. However, these attachment point rings 75 could also bedisposed along the center of the tunnel 14, such that they are disposedon the right and left sides of the reservoir 72. The opposed ends of thecontinuous fastening strap 78 are attached together using a ratchetfastening mechanism 79, which permits the fastening strap 78 to betightened to securely fastened the fuel container assembly 70 in placeon the tunnel 14. Preferably, the rings 75 which are fixed to the tunnel14 are located slightly forward of the position in which the fuelcontainer assembly 70 is to be located on the tunnel 14, such that theslanted forward face 73 of the reservoir 72 is forced into abutment withthe inclined rear end face 52 of the rear seat portion 44.

The cap members 74 which fit over both apertures in the fuel reservoir72 ensure that the fuel container assembly 70 cannot be fastened to thesnowmobile 10 with the poring spout, which connects to the fuelconveying aperture and is used to pour fuel from the fuel container intothe vehicle when the fuel container is being used to dispense fueltherefrom, extending outward from the reservoir 72. Some snowmobileusers have been known to fasten a fuel reservoir to their snowmobileswith the pouring spout still extending therefrom, in order to saverefuelling time at the next fill-up. However, a protruding pouring spoutcan become ensnared on branches or other objects during operation of thesnowmobile, causing it to break and leak fuel. The spill of fuel ontothe vehicle can be dangerous and fuel spilled into the environment cancause numerous environmentally damaging effects. To avoid theseoccurrences, the cap members 74 ensure that the fuel container assembly70 cannot be fastened to the snowmobile 10 without the pouring spouthaving been removed therefrom. Further, the cap members 74 also preventthe conventional screwed sealing caps, which plug the apertures in thereservoir 72 and over which the cap members 74 are disposed, frombecoming unscrewed.

The embodiments of the invention described above are intended to beexemplary. Those skilled in the art will therefore appreciate that theforgoing description is illustrative only, and that various alternativesand modifications can be devised without departing from the spirit ofthe present invention. For example, while preferably employed on asnowmobile, the object transporting arrangement 50 of the presentinvention, can similarly be used on other straddle seated type vehicles,such as personal watercraft, all-terrain vehicles, motorcycles, etc.Accordingly, the present is intended to embrace all such alternatives,modifications and variances which fall within the scope of the appendedclaims.

1. A snowmobile comprising: a chassis including a tunnel having an uppersurface; an engine disposed on the chassis; a drive track disposed belowand supported by the tunnel and operatively connected to the engine forpropulsion of the snowmobile; two skis mounted to the chassis, each viaa front suspension; a straddle seat disposed on the tunnel above thedrive track and rearward of the engine, the seat having a rear end witha rear end face, the rear end face being inclined upwardly andrearwardly with respect to the upper surface of the tunnel; a steeringdevice disposed on the chassis forward of the seat and operativelyconnected to the two skis for steering the snowmobile; a cavity definedbeneath the seat between the inclined rear end face and the uppersurface of the tunnel, the cavity being adapted to receive at least aportion of a transportable object therein, the transportable objectbeing locatable above the tunnel at least partially beneath the seat. 2.The snowmobile as defined in claim 1, wherein the transportable objectcomprises one of a fuel container or a carrying bag.
 3. The snowmobileas defined in claim 1, wherein attachment points are provided on thesnowmobile such that the transportable object, disposed in the cavity,is removably fastenable to the snowmobile using a fastener.
 4. Thesnowmobile as defined in claim 3, wherein the attachment points areprovided on the tunnel.
 5. The snowmobile as defined in claim 1, whereinan upwardly projecting tail rack is mounted on the tunnel rearward ofthe seat.
 6. The snowmobile as defined in claim 1, wherein side membersare provided on either side of the snowmobile between the seat and thetunnel and define the cavity therebetween.
 7. An object transportable ona snowmobile comprising a seat disposed above a tunnel having asubstantially flat upper surface, the seat having an inclined rear endface extending upwardly and rearwardly with respect to the upper surfaceof the tunnel, a cavity being defined beneath the seat between theinclined rear end face and the upper surface, the object comprising awedge-shaped portion having a slanted upper surface corresponding to theinclined rear end face of the seat and being abutable thereagainst suchthat at least the portion of the object is receivable within the cavity,the object being thereby locatable above the tunnel at least partiallybeneath the seat.
 8. The object as defined in claim 7, wherein theobject comprises one of a fuel container and a carrying bag.
 9. Theobject as defined in claim 7, wherein the object comprises attachmentpoints, the attachment points cooperating with at least a fastener onthe snowmobile for securing the object to the snowmobile.
 10. The objectas defined in claim 9, wherein the fastening member includes a fasteningstrap, the fastening strap forcing the object forward towards theinclined rear end face of the seat when the object is located on thesnowmobile.
 11. The object as defined in claim 10, wherein a ratchetmechanism is provided to tighten the fastening strap, thereby fasteningthe object to the tunnel.
 12. The object as defined in claim 7, whereinthe object is a carrying bag comprising an opening extending at leastpartially around a rear portion thereof beneath the slanted uppersurface, the slanted upper surface comprising part of a forwardlypivoting lid of the carrying bag.
 13. The object as defined in claim 7,wherein the object is a semi-rigid carrying bag.
 14. A snowmobile incombination with an object transportable thereon, the snowmobilecomprising: a chassis including a tunnel having an upper surface; anengine disposed on the chassis; a drive track disposed below andsupported by the tunnel and operatively connected to the engine forpropulsion of the snowmobile; two skis mounted to the chassis, each viaa front suspension; a straddle seat disposed above the tunnel above thedrive track and rearward of the engine, the seat having a rear end witha rear end face, the rear end face being inclined upwardly andrearwardly with respect to the upper surface of the tunnel; a steeringdevice disposed on the chassis forward of the seat and operativelyconnected to the two skis for steering the snowmobile; a cavity definedbeneath the seat between the inclined rear end face and the uppersurface of the tunnel, the cavity being adapted to receive at least aportion of the object therein; the object having at least a portionthereof shaped to complement the cavity such that the portion isreceivable therein, the object being thereby locatable above the tunnelat least partially beneath the rear end face of the seat.